Retired former Olympian to stay in the swimming pool with his academy

GRANT Turner is looking forward to giving something back to the sport which took him around the world after announcing his retirement from swimming.

The Swindon Olympian has called it a day after considering his future after he missed out on a place at this summer’s Commonwealth Games, but is remaining heavily involved in the sport despite ending his racing career.

Along with his partner Jo Jackson, who herself is a former Olympic swimmer, Turner has set up a swimming academy to help youngsters get into the sport and learn the vital skills necessary to stay safe in the water.

His new venture may not quite replace the thrill of walking out to race in front of nearly 20,000 cheering fans at the Olympics, but it’s something both Turner and Jackson are extremely excited about.

“These last two years since the Olympics, Jo and I have been setting up our own swimming academy and we’ve got to the stage now where we’re very busy with it,” Turner said.

“It’s hectic and enjoyable at the same time which is brilliant because we’re both so passionate about it, as it offer the chance for swimmers to work with us and improve their swimming.

“We’ve also got a learn to swim section, which is probably the most exciting thing for us because it helps teach kids water safety which is something which is sometimes overlooked in this country.

“For us it’s about the old cliché of giving something back to the sport, but we’re very passionate about this because swimming as a sport has given us an awful lot in life and some amazing experiences all over the world.

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“We want to give something back and we can do that by teaching children some swimming and giving them the opportunities we were lucky enough to have.”

During his career, Turner competed in two World Championship finals, won silver in the relay at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and also was part of the Britain team at the London Olympics.

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